The Final Straw
by morgana07
Summary: Sam wakes up a captive of someone he never thought he'd have to fear & in a place he never wanted to see again. Fighting to not only save himself but his brother, it's a race to see if Sam's strong enough to face this nightmare or if his brother's strength of will can win out. *Hurt/limp/angsty/emotional!Sam & evil/possessed/guilty/super caring!Dean*
1. Chapter 1

**The Final Straw**

**Summary: **_A night out finds Sam waking up a captive of someone he never thought he'd have to fear & in a place he never wanted to see again. Fighting to not only save himself but his brother, it's a race to see if Sam's strong enough to face this nightmare or if his brother's strength of will can win out as the final straw nearly breaks them both. *Hurt/limp/angsty/emotional!Sam & evil/possessed/guilty/super caring!Dean* Set in season two between 02x17 Heart & 02x18 Hollywood Babylon. _

**Warnings: **_Language of course, nothing too graphic but it might get a bit more than normal. Also, I'll toss a violence warning on this one, more so in chapter two so watch out for that. While it may not need the M warning since it will have some more intense violence next chapter I'll put that rating on it._

**Tags/Spoilers: **_None really though some mention of events from Heart are included._

**Disclaimer: **_I don't own anything. The characters belong to Kripke & the CW. I just come up with new ways to hurt the boys for the entertainment of others._

**Author Note: **_So this piece is done for a prompt for the lovely Jenjoremy who wanted to see possessed Dean back before the boys picked up those nifty tattoos. So for all the hurt!Sam fans out there (I know you're peeking) this one is for you._

_Also, look me up on Facebook under morgana07 to catch up on new story ideas, chat about older fics if you have a question or just chat since I always enjoy meeting and talking to readers._

**Chapter One**

Pain all over his cramped body was what woke Sam Winchester slowly. His brain seemed fuzzy and he couldn't remember anything after stepping out of the bar he and Dean had been at earlier that…he wasn't sure since he didn't know how long he'd been unconscious.

Had they been jumped? Who the hell would attack them outside a dive bar in some small town in California? Too many questions as Sam went to move only to feel the first prick of fear settle in his gut.

He was tied and not tied by an amateur since his wrists were tied behind him, his legs were tied at the hips, thighs and ankles before being pulled up behind him to allow another short piece of rope to bind his wrists and ankles together but it was the piece of rope that had been wrapped around his throat to thread through the other pieces that freaked him out.

Every small move of his head or if he shifted just a little too much in an effort to move or feel where he was pulled that rope until it was tight, nearly cutting his air off.

Opening his eyes to try to see brought another burst of fear when the young hunter discovered not only was he blindfolded but the feel of heavy burlap against his cheek told him that his head was covered by a hood and a move to shout for his brother or for help revealed that something had been tied in and around his mouth to gag him.

Tied, gagged and hooded with no idea who'd attacked them or where his brother was or his condition nearly led Sam into a panic attack like he hadn't had in years and only years of training, of knowing that no matter Dean would find a way to get them out of this.

Sam often didn't like his older brother hyper manic protective ways but he couldn't deny lately, since Sam had been forced to kill Madison and had taken that emotional hit hard, that he appreciated having Dean close.

He knew that his brother had wanted to be the one to handle the young woman whose unfortunate encounter with a werewolf had left her turned and dangerous.

They'd tried everything to help her but in the end there had been only one way and Sam had done it. Madison had been his first lover since Jessica and that made killing her that much harder but he'd known that he couldn't allow his brother to take that burden on…even though Dean had been with him every second since to handle the fallout.

It had been Dean who had cleaned up as much as possible in the apartment, wiping their fingerprints down and getting Sam away after he'd nearly fallen to pieces right after but it was in the following three days that Dean almost didn't leave Sam's side.

Driving them away from the scene, finding a new hotel and then just allowing Sam to grieve and mourn in his own way even if it meant swallowing the no chick flick rule when the nightmares brought Sam screaming awake to cling to his brother until the sobs and shudders eased off.

Never once did Dean complain or bitch which since Sam knew how on edge his brother could get if not working or moving, especially these days since losing their Dad, dealing with Gordon's attack on Sam, facing that demons were a little too interested in Sam and finally Sam's possession by Meg.

Sam expected his brother to start to get antsy about moving on or finding a hunt but he hadn't even though that night at the bar he'd noticed a few little odd things about Dean that bothered him but excused it as days of hardly sleeping, eating takeout, trying to stay under everyone's radar and just being Dean.

Since Madison's death, Sam hadn't been doing much but trying to get over the grief of failing another woman who'd trusted him so he hadn't really wanted to go out to a bar to watch his brother hustle pool but since Dean had put up with so much from him lately he'd given in and went.

He'd been content to sit at a booth working on his latest idea to get his notoriously bad at Latin brother to learn something useful while occasionally looking up to see Dean surrounded by pretty women all watching him play pool and only a few times did Sam have to actually catch his brother's eyes to remind him to tone it down.

Sam wasn't a huge drinker but he had had three beers, the last one right before he'd talked Dean into leaving because it seemed like his brother had flirted a bit too much and with a woman that belonged to one of the men he'd just beat at pool.

It had been when he was stepping out of the bar that Sam realized his head had started to feel a little weird but before he could comment to Dean about as he stepped up to the Impala things went black after he was hit from behind.

Trying to keep calm as his head ached and his arms and legs burned but being pulled into the position he was in, it took Sam another couple moments to force the instincts he'd been taught to have by both Dean and their Dad to use his other senses as best as he could.

He couldn't see but while his hearing was muffled he wasn't deafened which he was glad of because that loss would've sent him over a fine line that he'd always been able to maintain.

Listening carefully, there was a sudden cold ball in his stomach as he finally picked up the familiar rumble of the Impala's engine and realized he'd been tied and stuffed into the trunk.

A fear of small spaces had always been with Sam since he'd been young and locked in a closet by some asshole. He'd managed to bury it for the most part but this time, not knowing where Dean was or even how he was or who had jumped them to do this he felt his breathing pick up until he was once again hearing his brother's soothing voice in his head telling him to keep calm.

Then the anger began to seep in. Anger at himself for not seeing a risk since that was one of the first things his Dad would bitch at him over if he was still alive and then anger at the bastard who'd attacked them and was driving his brother's car.

Dean loved the Impala nearly more than he did anything else still alive…though Sam thought he still had a slight edge on the car for his brother's affection, and to think of someone else driving it made Sam both angry and afraid because the only way Dean would surrender the keys willingly was if he was unconscious or if their attacker had threatened Sam.

He wanted to kick the closed trunk but the rope cutting into his throat reminded him to stay as still as possible while also trying to control his breathing under the hood.

Sam could hear the dim sound of the radio playing and knew that Dean would kick this guy's ass because while driving the Impala was one sin, screwing with the radio was quite another and the sound of actual oldies music playing made the young man cringe.

Trying to shift a little to relieve the pressure on his body, Sam's tingling fingers felt something laying in the trunk that he knew by touch shouldn't have been there and squeezed it into his fingers to hold onto it as if drawing strength from the tiny medallion Bobby had given them to ward off possessions after Meg's little sneak attack.

He tried to recall when Dean had taken his off and figured it couldn't have been that long ago but just the feel of it in his palm calmed him down a little until he felt the car slowing down before coming to a hard stop that jerked Sam and he gagged a little as the rope tightened on his throat.

The unknown shouldn't scare him. He'd grown up on the road with his Dad and brother and after learning the truth of what John Winchester really did, of the things that haunted the night.

He'd seen his girlfriend die on the ceiling of their apartment, he'd nearly seen his brother die countless times and had been there the day their Dad died along with so many other things that being tied up in the trunk of a car should not bother him as much as it was.

Yet as Sam listened closely to the radio being clicked off and the driver's door opening to slam shut he felt his heartbeat jump, tensing as the trunk opened and he was ready to hear a mocking voice of whoever was doing this but the silence was suddenly worse for him.

Tightening his hand around the medallion, Sam grunted and tasted blood as a fist suddenly flew from the darkness to connect with his jaw but still the mystery assailant didn't speak instead he used the distraction to reach in and pull Sam up and out.

Expecting a chance to fight back or get the upper hand when the man, it was clearly a man, cut his ankles loose, Sam swore bitterly to himself at the sick realization that his captor wasn't expecting him to walk as he made a soft grunt while putting the hunter over his shoulder and slamming the trunk closed.

Sam's voice was muffled behind both the hood and the gag as he tried to speak or yell at the feel of cool night air and knew he was outside for at least the time being.

Drawing attention was risky, especially until he learned where Dean was being held or even if he was still…no, Sam wouldn't allow his thoughts to go there when a hand on the small of his back dug in tightly with strong fingers as if warning him not to make a scene but something in that touch also made Sam's aching and blurry head still as if something was off about it.

Yelping in pain as his head was not so gently hit off a door, Sam's teeth bit into the gag as his body was stretched too much and the rope choking him nearly made him black out until his captor must have realized this and eased up, allowing him to try to suck in air through his nose.

Listening to the sounds of creaking steps and wood floors confused Sam because he'd expected to be taken to a warehouse or some other out of the way place for whatever this was about, tensing as several ideas ran through his head that once again nearly had him hyperventilating and wishing with his whole heart that he had some idea of where Dean was and if his brother could find him.

The odd faint smell of charred wood and smoke broke through along with the sound of a squeaking door opening, closing and locking made him tense as he tried to count the steps the man took from the door until he was placed on a mattress that had a smell that made Sam's already turning stomach flip violently and he prayed he didn't vomit while gagged.

The burlap hood was jerked off but with the blindfold still on, Sam couldn't see as he felt the gag being removed and he was finally able to draw in as much air as the rope around his neck would allow while trying to wet his lips.

"Who are you?" he demanded, voice dry and rough as it hit him that he'd also been drugged by something. "Where am I? Where's my brother? Why're you…argh!"

An unexpected burst of pain went up Sam's chest as something lashed across it and with a sick sinking feeling he realized his shirt was off and he fought to stave off the panic.

The sound of a knife flicking open stilled him but rather than feel more pain, Sam felt the connecting ropes between his neck, wrists and ankles be cut free but nothing else was freed which still left him powerless to defend himself or fight.

Strong hands picked him up again to set him on the floor while cutting his wrists free of the ropes but a knee to his stomach left Sam gasping for air and distracted while solid metal cuffs attached to the ceiling were hooked around his wrists while something heavy was put on his ankles to act as a weight to cause his arms more pain but to also keep him from trying to move his legs as he was hung.

"Fine, do whatever the hell you want but I'll tell you now…my brother will so kick your ass when he…no," he whispered, hearing a low chuckle from near him when the stale smoky odor in the room finally eased up that another smell struck him and he suddenly wanted to wish he was in a nightmare. "Where's…where's my brother?" he demanded again, feeling the wetness fill his eyes as he listened to the low deep chuckle come again but this time from right next to him and suddenly he realized there was something much worse than being scared of the unknown.

When the unknown was as familiar as the deep voice of his older brother as the blindfold was ripped off and Sam found himself staring into the deep green eyes of his own brother as the knife in Dean's hand pressed the tip against the lump in Sam's throat as the full weight of this horror began to sink in.

"Big brother's right here, Sammy," Dean smiled but it wasn't a true smile but more like a predator as he grabbed a handful of hair to yank the wide eyed hunter's head back with the hard jerk. "And all your hope of being rescued is out the window because it's kind of hard to be saved by the man who's about to teach you a new lesson on pain, little brother."

Gasping in pain, the fear was livid but the sight of the silver ring still on Dean's hand as well as what Sam still clenched in his own fist gave him the answer in a fast blur of panic and disgust for not seeing the signs before this.

"You're not my brother," he gritted, feeling the knife cut into his shoulder before he wrapped his head and mouth around the word he needed. "Christo…mmmh!"

A hand clamped roughly over Sam's mouth but not before the green eyes that Sam had grown up with flashed black as the demon inside his brother showed its true self with a smirk that was more like the elder Winchester. "College boy is maybe a bit too smart for his own good," he remarked lowly, reaching into his back pocket for a heavy piece of cloth that he forced deep into Sam's mouth before buckling a wide leather strap around Sam's head to force the gag in more and assuring that the hunter couldn't speak…and could exorcise it from Dean.

"I'm gonna have to punish you for that one, kiddo…maybe punish you both but then punishing you, hurting you like I plan to is punishment enough for your big brother," the demon in Dean grinned, watching blood pool to the surface of the cut he was slowly making on Sam's arm. "You want to know the why, where, and how of it, Sammy? Oh, I'll tell you…maybe but first…don't you want to know where we are? You should know it."

The hate was plain in Sam's hazel eyes as he glared at the demon wearing his brother's body and hating this so much. He knew only too well how it felt to be possessed by a demon, to be a prisoner inside his own head and to be forced to watch and feel everything that goes on but be powerless to stop it.

Sam had been that way when Meg possessed him only months earlier and he still had nightmares about what she'd forced his body to do, what she'd done to him while in his body. So he'd never wanted Dean to feel that way, especially when he knew that his brother would be fighting for control but helpless to stop the sneering demon that clearly had nasty plans for Sam.

A fist to the kidneys had Sam crying out but it was when his head snapped back and his watering eyes looked up to the ceiling that he realized what the demon had meant by that he'd know where he'd been brought and he did.

A broken sob escaped the gag as his eyes looked around what had once been a bedroom, the bed still where it had set, the mattress replaced but soiled with filth and whatever else by whoever had been squatting in the old apartment building that had once been home to Sam and his late girlfriend, Jessica Moore.

"Big brother would never bring you 'home' would he?" the demon sneered, looking around the room that still showed some minor fire damage even after the building had started to be slowly remodeled. "You're hanging directly under the spot where your pretty little girlfriend burned up, Sammy boy and by the time we're done… you're gonna be wishing to be as dead as she is as your brother, you're so-called hero, rips, cuts and beats on you until I get bored…and before I let him go I'll slit your throat so he can watch his baby brother die in his arms."

The knife shifted in a hand that seemed to shake but was steady when it pressed against Sam's throat as the young man tried to trash against the cuffs holding him too close to the spot where Jessica had been trapped and died but a scream came when the blade cut a shallow line over his chest.

"I'm going to enjoy making your scream, little hunter," the demon in Dean Winchester smiled while slipping behind the panicking young man to jab just the tip of the blade that belonged to Dean into his shoulder blade to bring a muffled shout of pain before stepping back to leave Sam gasping as he went to begin to set other things up. "Get comfy, Sam. You're in for a long…painful night."

**TBC**

**A/NII: **_So I planned for a one-shot but like others I write, the plot bunny and the Muse hit a cliffhanger point and decided to leave Sam hanging…literally. This one should only require three chapters…since of course the third must have healing, guilt and brother moments…but first we must hurt Sam so stay tuned for more of Sam's emotional and physical turmoil and we'll see if Dean can free himself before going too far or how the boys will get out of this one…_


	2. Chapter 2

**The Final Straw**

**Warning:**_ Some more violence in this chapter so the warning is up for that. Nothing too graphic or as graphic as I have done but still serious. Also, mentions of past implied non-con event, just mentioned._

**Chapter Two**

"Well, I'll give you this. You're a lot harder to break than I thought you'd be after nearly five hours."

Dean Winchester or the demon residing in his tall, lanky body walked around the hanging bloody and bruised body of the younger Winchester as lightly slapping a heavy leather flogger against his palm just to see the little jerks Sam made at the sound.

The demon seemed to enjoy both the muffled screams or cries of pain that after two hours of constant and brutal abuse the younger man couldn't bury anymore as well as the bitter struggles of the man whose body he was riding and using to torture his own little brother.

Sam had tried not to give the demon what he wanted; him fighting the torture and making sounds of pain from under the gag since he knew those sounds were going to be used against him and after Dean was himself again those cries would be what haunted him.

However after two hours of harsh beatings and whippings over his bare back and chest, the demon had gotten frustrated enough to begin to start cutting him and the first deep cut broke his silence.

The cries were muffled by the gag but in an empty building, a place that Sam had never wanted to see again, they still sounded loud and he was surprised by the lack of attention.

"Bet you're wondering why no security or anyone's coming to check out the noise," the demon with Dean's voice spoke from behind him as he struck the flogger with full strength to bring bloody welts over the drying ones already littered across the hunter's back. "Before I jumped your big brother I borrowed the building owner for a few days to ensure no one would be around for this. I thought you'd appreciate spending this quality time in the place where you were happiest."

Being pounded on and tortured by a demon in possession of his older brother was one thing but to have it done in the bedroom where Jessica had died, where his last image of her had been pinned to the ceiling directly where he was chained under to watch her body burn until Dean broke down the door to pull him out was ever worse.

Every time Sam's head fell back or was yanked back his eyes went to the spot that if he looked close enough he'd swear he could see the outline of her body but he couldn't close his eyes because it had been made plain to him that the demon wanted him to watch his own torture.

The few times he hadn't or he'd passed out he'd be brought back to consciousness with the demon punching him or even more terrifying was when he'd been jerked back to see the damn thing making narrow cuts on Dean's own arm with the knife he was using on Sam.

"I honestly thought you'd be a broken and begging mess by now, Sammy," the demon spoke, tossing the flogger aside to pick up the knife again but not before he slammed a hard fist just above Sam's right kidney which was already showing massive bruising forming. "I mean, here you are chained right under the spot where your pretty girlfriend burned on the ceiling just like your Mom did while your brother's beating you to death or maybe we'll just skin you first and nothing but some shouts and moans…maybe I should kick things up a notch."

Sam's breathing was labored due to the pain he was in and not being able to draw in a deep breath due to broken or cracked ribs and the gag covering his mouth but at every small break in the pain he tried to settle it back to somewhat normal, harder now with the pain increasing.

His arms and shoulders ached and burned from hanging for so long as well as the welts and bruises an array of beatings up his arms and across his shoulders had given him but he still kept his fist closed around the tiny medallion to draw strength from it while struggling to find a way to get them both out of this but being gagged kept him from using the exorcism that would force the demon out of his brother.

Sam's legs were nearly useless. The ropes binding him were tight enough that they'd cut off circulation so even if the weights that had been attached to his ankles didn't keep him from moving them the inability to feel them would have.

A sudden low hum had his eyes refocusing only a second before something was jabbed into his back, igniting a burn all through Sam's already battered body and he screamed past the gag as the taser hit him repeatedly along different spot until he was thrashing as much as the chains on his wrists would allow, gasping for breath and blind as tears rolled down his cheeks.

"Figured you hadn't had enough shocks recently," the laugh was Dean's but the tone anything but as the demon stepped around to take a handful of hair to pull it sharply and watching the look of fear flitter over glassy hazel eyes. "Want me to take the gag out, kiddo?" he touched it as if considering. "I really do want to hear your voice as he scream and beg Dean here to fight back and not to hurt you so I'll tell you what…I'll take this out but if you try to exorcise me outta him I'll rip this knife right through his guts before I smoke out.

"I'll leave him bleeding out while you'll be hanging here unable to help him," the demon smirked at the wide eyed look before jerking the gag out, lifting an eyebrow as if to see what Sam would do. "Good boy. You still care about what happens to him even though it's been five hours of big brother doing some serious crap to you."

"He's…not doing anything to…me," Sam spit, tasting blood and praying it was only because he'd bite his lip or tongue and not from anything more serious. "You are and you're…not my brother…argh!"

Fingertips pressed into a cut on Sam's chest to make it bigger, allowing more blood to flow down as the tip of the knife was dragged down his side to touch his thigh. "He's in here with me though but you know all about that cause you know how it was when little Meg jacked your body a couple months back," the demon's hand shifted to turn the knife to stick it through the hunter's upper thigh, hearing the choked off cry.

"Oh and he's a bitch to hold onto but I've made it plain to him that if he fights this too hard what I can do to you," the demon's voice dropped low and took on a tone that Sam had never heard from his brother and the numb panic began to resurface. "I gave Dean a blow by blow, not so much of a pun really, of the pain I can cause you or…what else I really want to do to his precious baby brother but then he doesn't know everything else Meg did…does he?"

"Shut up," Sam bit down hard against the agony as the knife twisted in his thigh again but he refused to let this damn demon ever reveal that to his brother. "You want to hurt me…fine…but leave…him alone. It's me…"

"You boys have no clue the real game being played or what your old man really did when he did what he did to save your worthless piece of shit brother," the demon sneered, jerking the knife out to place the tip against Sam's stomach before applying pressure while he slid the blade down to touch the snap on Sam's jeans with a slow smile. "He's begging now," he murmured lowly, making no attempts to hide the not so subtle hints as to what he wanted to do. "Begging me not to touch you like Meg allowed to happen…oops, you don't want your hero to know too much, do you?"

Playing with the knife against Sam's side, the demon seemed to frown a little at the shaky jerk of the hand holding the blade. "Hmm, big brother better watch it if he doesn't want serious damage inflicted but damn, does he got a mouth on him right now. Pity I can't gag him as easily as I can you," black eyes flashed twice as if the creature from Hell was fighting to stay in control. "He puts up a good front but I but I could break him just by…"

"My brother's twice the man our Dad was and you…won't break him…asshole," Sam snapped, in pain, hurting and logically scared of this situation but still pissed at the demon inside Dean for talking down about his brother, for making Dean feel the same way the damn Yellow Eyed bastard had that night before the semi plowed into the Impala…before their Dad died. "He'll never stop fighting you and…"

The blade flashed up under his throat as Sam swallowed tightly to remember it while it was Dean's face up close to his it wasn't his brother in control and blinking a little as he took in the slightest muscle movement under Dean's eye and understood.

"Dean," he murmured barely with any sound as the blade pressed in a little deeper until the younger man was certain his throat would be cut shortly but the blade stayed steady despite the fingers that had been curled ruthlessly tight in Sam's hair loosened and shook. "I'm sorry."

For just a brief moment a flicker of wild panic flashed in those deep green eyes as their true owner fought to the surface if only for a second, if only to try to offer some sort of assurance that he was still struggling against the strength of the demon wrestling control back.

"Sammy…" the pain in Dean's voice wasn't from whatever wounds the demon had inflicted but from he knew he'd done to his brother, trying to hold control long enough to at least try to get Sam free. "Don't…listen to it. Use the damn…exorcism."

"No, it could…kill you before I could…" Sam tried to argue, feeling the blade jerk and fearing the demon would punish Dean for fighting back by killing him. "De'n…I'm…"

"This…ain't your fault," Dean gritted, pushing the demon down while it railed in his mind with promises of what it would do to Sam once it was back in control. "My fault for taking the damn medallion off to…shit, Sam…you use that damn spell because I will not let this thing hurt you like it wants to but I can't…" he shook all over at the images being forced into his head of his own body assaulting his brother.

A gasp of pain as Dean jerked and Sam watched in horror when the blade sliced down his brother's hand to make Dean bleed even as he was holding onto control by a thin string, reaching up to try to get one of the cuffs loose.

"Shit!" Dean hissed, pulled away violently as black eyes flashed up to show the demon back and control and he was lunging to grab for Sam's throat. "Cute stunt your brother pulled," he growled, the knife back at Sam's neck while the blood from Dean's bleeding hand smeared over the raw and bloody welts on his chest. "I should kill you both for that but now I really want to make him pay for that and that means you're gonna pay."

Sam steeled himself for whatever came, locking his blurring eyes on the small bronze horned amulet his brother always wore and kept them on that one thing as he stopped trying to keep the screams in as punishing fists pummeled his face, chest, stomach and sides until he was left fighting just to draw in a small breath.

"Huh, big brother's not so tough in here now," the demon wiped blood on his knuckles from beating Sam until he was hanging limp and coughing blood off on Dean's already bloody grey t-shirt as he took a good look at the bloody and battered boy in front of him. "He's begging in here I bet a lot like you did while Meg was in control. What d'ya say, Dean? Want to see what you're really capable of doing to your baby brother?"

"'_Leave him alone, bastard!_'" Dean hated this and with every whimper or scream from Sam he felt even more helpless.

Being helpless or powerless were things that Dean Winchester had worked hard his whole life to never be. He'd been that way only a few times in his entire life and both times his brother had been hurt and he'd sworn to never be that way again.

He'd only taken the anti-possession medallion off for a second because it had gotten tangled in the black cord that held his amulet and in that mere two minutes he'd gone from perfectly fine, returning to the motel with dinner, to feeling a pain in his head to waking up locked in his own mind as the demon held a running commentary as it watched Sam sleep.

It had only been in him less than a day which in some way Dean had been grateful because this sick son of a bitch had certain kinks that turned Dean's stomach especially when it looked at his brother.

"You never should've tried to beat me down, little hunter," the demon was pissed and took it out on Sam with a vicious backhand to face, seeing blood come from his mouth but the younger man stayed limp even though he was clearly trying to return to consciousness.

"'_Damn it! You've done enough! Let Sam go and…do whatever the hell you want to me but stop hurting him,'_" Dean tried his best to control his own body and hated the mocking sound of his own voice as it laughed while reaching down for the knife again. "'_No. No, please. You've hurt him all night. Just let…let him go._'"

The demon ran the tip of the blade down the center of Sam's chest until the young hunter stirred, glassy hazel eyes slow to open to this but the fear was there when they finally did.

"No, I'm going to make you watch and listen all night and all day tomorrow as we take little bits of this freak apart and before I let either of you go I'm going to give you a taste of the fun Meg allowed some bikers to have with your boy during that time before you found him," the demon sneered. "Or maybe I'll keep you both since we both know Sammy-boy won't exorcise me cause I'll kill you and I always fancied havin' a pet."

"'_You son of a bitch! You try to put my…your hands on my brother and you won't have to worry about Sammy exorcising your demon ass, I will!_'" Dean was enraged and raging inside his own skull while watching helplessly as the demon walked over to one of the bags he'd tossed onto the ruined bed and pulled out a full, unopened bottle of whiskey. "'_Ha, getting me drunk won't shut me up, dick._'"

Slitting the seal on the bottle with the knife, the demon walked back over toward Sam with a slow intent. "Whiskey ain't for us, Dean," the demon replied, smile glittering as he felt the young man's mind jerk at the realization. "It's for Sam…in so many ways."

Dean's mind blanked out on that until it hit him as his wrist raised to lift the now open bottle up to begin to light a slow stream of the harsh alcohol pour over Sam's raw and bloody chest and his brother's choked scream brought Sam back to full consciousness.

"'_God…Sammy,'_" it was agonizing for Dean to listen to the pain in his brother's ragged voice or see the way his eyes would go haunted every time he was lucid enough to look up or remember where he was and Dean remembered the pain Sam suffered at losing Jessica and he wanted this black eyes bastard to pay even if it cost him his life. "'_Sammy, I'm sorry. I'll get you out of this…no, damn it. Stop! He's barely conscious! You can't force him to drink…shit! I will so burn you for touching him!_'"

"I haven't even started touching him yet, hero," the demon replied smugly, taking a handful of hair to pull Sam's battered head back to pour whiskey down his throat and seemed to take great pleasure in the boy's pain and gasping sounds as he choked on the liquor. "You'll know when I do cause then I'm gonna get to hear you as your little brother squirms under…what the hell is that?"

The little beeping alarm like sound was coming from the bag that Sam kept his laptop in. "Hey! What's going on?" he growled, slapping Sam hard across the face until in shock glassy eyes struggled to focus on him. "Answer me! Why's that beeping and what is it?"

It took Sam's head a couple more slaps before he realized what he was being asked and what the sound was, feeling a tiny stirring of hope flicker back to life. "It's…laptop," he slurred, fingers of his left hand moving slowly so the demon wouldn't see or notice his hand. "Got…an alarm these days. Bobby…runs a program through it every…day but it needs to be on to make…the noise stop."

"What program?" the demon eyed the in shock and bleeding hunter closely as if looking for a lie or trick. "Dean doesn't know anything about that."

"You…think Bobby'll…tell Dean about a program that's basically letting him know…we're okay?" Sam was having a hard time breathing and seeing and feared the wounds were worse than he'd first thought, trying to see where the noise was coming from. "Just…open the top, hit a key and let it go…unless you want Bobby Singer to drop in…and he will if that doesn't…run," he gasped as more whiskey hit his open wounds.

Blinking a bit more to clear his vision, Sam watched without taking a breath as the demon inside his brother grabbed the laptop, opened it to hit a key before tossing it away from him on the bed as he came back over to Sam with a sneer.

"Annoying noise all gone and no chance of the old man riding to your rescue," he smirked, lifting a hand that shook more than he liked as he gritted his teeth and reached for Sam's belt. "Now, let's have some fun…what?"

"'_Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus omnis satanica potestas, omnis incursion infernalis adversarii, omnis legio, omnis congregatio et secta diabolica.'"_

The sudden deep voice of Bobby Singer's recorded voice coming from over the laptop's speakers saying the first verse of the exorcism ritual had the demon in Dean jerking around with a snarl, black eyes flashing. "You stupid…" he snapped, whipping a hard backhand into Sam's face before he went to lunge toward the bed and the offending piece of electronics. "I will rip your tongue out of your head right after I make you watch…argh!"

"'_Ergo draco maledicte et omnis legio diabolica adjuramus te. Cessa decipere humanas creaturas, eisque aeternae Perditionis venenum propinare._'"

The second verse made him stumble but it was clear this demon was strong and could very well stop the spell before it would work and the demon made to move again, Sam made the only move he knew he could and just prayed he had the strength.

"Hey…think you…forgot something," Sam gasped, pain building but the moment the demon turned back to hit him again Sam let his left hand come free of the cuff that Dean had been able to unlock, grabbing the hand before it could connect and pressing what he'd been holding into it to see those black eyes go wide. "Go…back to…Hell and…get outta my…brother…"

The demon's strength was still greater than Sam's and he was able to pull away, leaving the hunter gasping from exertion and hanging by one arm. "I will…I will…" he snarled again but the pain of the still playing ritual as well as the anti-possession medallion that the damn fingers of this body were curling around was hurting it.

"'_Vade, Satana, inventor et magister omnis fallaciae, hostis humanae salutis. Humiliare sub potenti manu dei, contremisce et effuge, invocato a nobis sancto et terribili nomine, quem inferi tremunt.'"_

The third verse came through and the demon fell away to land on his knees by the bed but still too far away to smash the infernal machine that was coming close to yanking him from his very unwilling host.

"I'll kill you both before I let some…argh!" he screamed as the hand he suddenly had no control over squeezed tighter over the medallion to make him feel the burn on it through Dean's skin. "No! I will not…lose con…"

"Yeah…you will," Sam whispered, vision narrowing as he struggled to stay conscious for one more second.

"'_Ab insidiis diaboli, libera nos, Domine. Ut Ecclesiam tuam secura tibi facias libertate servire, te rogamus, audi nos. Ut inimicos sanctae Ecclesiae humiliare digneris, te rogamus, audi nos._'"

"…te rogamus, audi nos," Sam's voice was fading along with his consciousness as he mumbled the final few words of the ritual before feeling the blackness coming in hard and hoping he'd either be dead soon or if he opened his eyes again it would be to his brother's green eyes. "…Christo…"

The demon snarled fought the repeating ritual as the laptop had it on a loop to repeat for the next hour but he couldn't find the ability to move as it was yanking on him to pull him out of Dean and the medallion was burning but it finally went the ritual got to the third verse again and Dean's control had gained some ground to pull at the duffel on the bed until it fell next to him that the demon knew its time was up.

Dean could feel the thing clawing for control as he worked stiff fingers into the duffel to pull out a bottle of Holy water but he'd only managed to open the cap before the demon was letting go of him with a guttural scream that the hunter wasn't sure if it was the demon screaming or himself as the black smoke tore out of him and out of the shell of a room through cracks on the wall near the window.

With a gasp, Dean fell to the floor unmoving for several long minutes until slowly he began to come back to his dull senses; aware of the pain his body was in both inside and out but then full memory snapped back and his eyes were shooting across the room to find his brother and feeling the whole world stop for him.

"Sammy…"

**TBC**

**A/N: **_*Cough* Yes, I did just cliffhang it here and yes, I know. I am an evil writer who enjoys torturing my readers as much as I do the boys. Next update will be soon so stay tuned._

_Also remember you can look me up on Facebook under morgana07 to chat, find out about updates and more. I always love meeting and chatting with readers._

_And reviews are always golden salve for weary authors souls._


	3. Chapter 3

**The Final Straw**

**Chapter Three**

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I am so _goddamn_ sorry, Sammy."

Dean Winchester knew his voice was ragged and broken but only half of that was because of the damage down by the demon going in and out of his throat. The rest came from the hours of talking he'd been doing and the bitter tears that he'd shed as both pain and guilt settled heavily on the hunter's soul.

It had been over twenty-some hours since Dean had regained control of his own body after…well, he was still trying to figure out how in the hell Sam had managed to pull off what he had to save both their asses…again.

Smoothing fingers that were still shaking after spending the better part of two hours cleaning, stitching and dressing wounds carefully back through Sam's damp hair from where Dean had tried to clean the dried blood from the back of his brother's head as best as he could right then.

It had been the bloody lump on the back of Sam's head as well as the several other blows to the head that he knew his own fist had delivered that had Dean fighting with himself between taking his brother straight to the closest ER once he'd freed him finally or just vanishing.

The threat of not knowing where the demon escaped to or if there were more lurking around made Dean's choice for him after he'd bundled his in shock and bleeding brother into the Impala, got whatever the damn demon had taken up into the apartment, including the laptop, and had a moment to wonder if he shouldn't burn the whole damn deserted building to the ground this time before just choosing to leave the area.

Palo Alto had too many bad memories for Sam as it were and now this nightmare would just add to them and while on the one hand Dean wanted a hospital for his brother he also couldn't risk either another demon attack or the questions this would bring.

He'd taken the time to make certain Sam wasn't bleeding out from the knife wound in his thigh and decided to risk taking care of his brother himself…unless Sam didn't wake up or the symptoms that Dean knew would scream trouble showed up.

Not needing or wanting to be any closer to this place than they were, Dean drove blindly until he felt they were far enough away to find a motel so he could try to patch Sam up physically at least since he dreaded the emotional turmoil his brother would be in and the fear he knew he'd see in Sam's eyes.

Though right then all Dean wanted was to see any reaction in Sam that wasn't pain or the soft whimpers he made at any touch.

The motel he'd picked in the small southern California town that in Dean's opinion was too small to be on any current map was also small with only one bed but since he just needed it for Sam, it suited just fine.

Since Sam's first injury on a hunt to scrapes on the school playground to plain fights it seemed like it had always been Dean patching his little brother up…though he never once allowed himself to think that he'd be stitching a knife wound closed that his own hand had caused.

Oh, Dean knew the logical response and what he'd be told by Bobby or Ellen…after the lecture. That he couldn't blame himself for what had happened, that he wasn't in control when those wounds…when the bruises were inflicted and that he'd never hurt Sam if he'd been himself and he accepted all that.

The pure hunter who understood now how possession worked understood that and understood that he'd fought and clawed for control from the second he realized what was happening but what the older brother in him accepted was another matter entirely.

The need to shield and protect was still strong in Dean even after the four years apart while Sam was at college he'd felt the urge to protect and had done the best he could.

Even though he'd nearly shut Sam out after their Dad's death and the guilt he felt over that, protecting his little brother was still paramount to him and so this wasn't a matter of shrugging the guilt off and moving on.

While it might not have been him in control as it happened it had still been his hands the hurt Sam and his voice that his brother was forced to listen to as it hit every weak spot Sam had; as it tossed out every hateful thing that could hurt his brother and tossed in Jessica at every second.

Though the demon had also tossed out a few things that Dean knew Sam had been keeping from him about the time a few months back when Meg had possessed and used Sam as her own personal toy; things that explained a lot about Sam's behavior shortly afterward and things that Dean would have to get him to face…if he talked to him.

The demon had meant that to hurt Sam and to shock Dean and it had but it had also steeled something inside the hunter to make him strive to protect Sam because while one demon might have hurt his brother in ways that he'd always sworn Sam would never face again he'd be damned if another would toss it in his face.

The welts on Sam's back and chest were bad but only a couple needed a few stitches to close. The deep knife wounds had been trickier and Dean was somewhat relieved that Sam didn't wake up while he was closing those but now as he sat back on the side of the lone double bed in the room to just watch the rise and fall of his younger brother's chest he was worried about how unresponsive Sam seemed.

"Sammy…" Dean could still see the fear in Sam's eyes earlier but he also could see the strength at the end when he'd fought to do what he could to free him from the demon. "Wake up, please," he whispered, wanting to sleep or get drunk but knowing he couldn't do either until Sam was awake in case his brother needed him or it became necessary to take him to an ER.

Looking down at the blood on his hands Dean couldn't be certain what was from earlier as he beat his fists into his tied and trapped brother's skin or what was fresher as he cleaned and stitched wounds but he suddenly wanted it gone.

"I'll be right back," he spoke as if Sam was awake and listening instead of still and sleeping, at least he prayed his brother was just sleeping due to pain, shock, exhaustion and too much whiskey poured down his throat. "I need to wash the blood off and change and…I'm sorry I let you down, little brother."

Lightly touching Sam's pale face, Dean pulled back at the soft whimper and tried to accept that things would only get worse when Sam woke up and the fear took hold.

Considering the shock Sam was in right now, the older hunter considered the blanket from the bed that he'd stripped off before laying Sam down but since he wasn't sure how clean it was to begin with he went with what he always did to keep his brother warm when nothing else was available.

"I'll be ten minutes max. You…hold onto this for me," he carefully draped his battered leather jacket over Sam and felt a little more at ease when he noticed his brother's fingers moving in his sleep to close around the jacket that had always covered Sam from the time he was six months old until now. "Doors and windows are salted and locked. You've got your medallion and…I've got mine again. Nothing's getting in this room or touching you."

Dean closed his hand around both his amulet and the anti-possession medallion, vowing that this time had gone too far and it was time to find a more permanent means to keep this protected from possession.

Stepping into the tiny bathroom, he was glad to see both a tub and shower since he was not relishing the idea of holding Sam up for any shower…if his brother let him near him…but just wanted a quick way to rinse the blood off.

The grey t-shirt and jeans were pulled off with a curse to be tossed back into the bedroom near where he'd discarded Sam's bloody jeans for disposal later.

He accepted that the clothes, or at least his, could be cleaned of the blood but Dean knew that he'd never be able to wear them again without seeing his brother's blood covering them and remembering that he'd caused Sam to bleed.

Stepping into the tub to allow the hot water to fall over him, Dean watched with a narrowed gaze as the blood washed off his skin but as his closed his hand into a fist it was the sharp stab of pain from the stitches in his own hand that reminded him yet again of the mistakes he'd made that allowed this to happen.

Sam had only just now started to get over Madison's death and he didn't need this crap hitting him, especially not when he was forced to face the very room his first girlfriend died in and that Sam would've died in if Dean hadn't gone back.

Now his brother had to cope with killing Madison and having a damn demon possess his brother and nearly kill him because that was the drawback that no one had mentioned before…Dean still had every memory that the demon thought and he knew it had planned to kill Sam after he'd…

A hard fist slammed into the wall as it began to pour back to him. He could hear the demon's slick tone whispering to him from the first moment what he'd do to Sam after he was done punishing him. Dean's stomach lurched at both what the demon thing wanted to use his body to do to his brother and what it told him that Meg had allowed to be done to Sam months ago.

Rage built up in Dean at how powerless he'd been. Now he understood a little more of why for weeks after Meg's attack that Sam had avoided looking at him and hardly slept through the night unless they were in the Impala.

His brother had suffered through so much more in that longer period of time and Dean was thankful that the demon had showed its hand only after a couple days. Days that Sam went untouched and unharmed but days that Dean's mind was forced to witness the things it did while his brother slept not three feet from him.

Rage was nothing new for Dean to feel these days. Neither was guilt. But it was the combination of the two mixed with the worry over Sam's injuries and extra guilt piled on that his stubborn little brother wouldn't say the exorcism ritual out of fear of the demon hurting Dean himself that finally caused the walls of restraint to crack.

Dean wasn't even aware of his already ragged and hoarse voice shouting itself out under the cover of the running water, his fist and knuckles bloody as he beat it into the wall while wishing it was himself or the demon being punished.

He wasn't certain how long he'd been shouting or slamming his fist against the tile, only snapping to at the sight of red streaking white tile and once again seeing blood covering his brother as he struggled to get him down from the chains and cuff that held him.

Memories and exhaustion took Dean to his knees as the water ran lukewarm finally and the young man wasn't certain if it was water or tears running down his face when he glanced in the steamy mirror to see the medallion around his neck again and it took his breath away at the realization that through hours of pain, humiliation and abuse Sam had kept the medallion he must have somehow picked up in the Impala's trunk in his hand.

"_Sonuvabitch_!" he snapped, wishing he had one shot at the demon for doing this and wishing he knew what to say to take this back or how to convince his brother it was over when Dean wasn't even certain if he could look into those deep puppy dog eyes without seeing fear or doubt and that would destroy him faster than anything.

The loss of trust from Sam and the memory of seeing how still and lifeless Sam had looked in the apartment…

**Flashback: Palo Alto, CA: Twenty-some hours earlier:**

"Sammy…"

Despite the pain his body was in, despite just wanting to curl up until the feelings of having that damn demon inside of him faded, the second Dean's widening green eyes landed on his brother hanging limply from one arm and covered in bruises, welts and cuts had him struggling to his feet to lurch across the floor.

"Sam!" he knew how badly Sam was hurt because Dean still had the memories but to see it now, to feel the slick feel of his brother's blood covering his own bleeding hand where the demon had cut him in retaliation for trying to free Sam nearly made him sicker than he figured he would be soon.

Being careful to not cause his brother any more pain than he'd be in already, Dean wrapped one arm around Sam's waist to try to lift him enough to relieve the obvious strain on his still cuffed right arm while reaching up to unhook that cuff and then taking the brunt of the fall when Sam's full weight dropped them to the grungy floor.

"Sam? Hey, open your eyes for me," Dean's voice shook but before he moved to touch his brother he slipped the anti-possession medallion back over his neck and vowed as soon as he could that he was finding a more permanent solution so this never happened again. "Sammy? Please, open your eyes?"

Sam's eyes stayed closed but it was clear by the movement under his lashes that he was fighting pain even unconscious which now that Dean was closer he thought it might be better that his brother wasn't awake.

"I'm going to get you out of here in a second, little brother," Dean could smell the whiskey on Sam but couldn't be certain what was from where it had been dumped over the raw welts or what was from his breath as he suddenly gasped a few little breaths of pain, stirring only when Dean carefully adjusted to support him while freeing his legs from all the ropes and the goddamn weights on his ankles.

Carding shaking fingers back through sweat slicked and sticky hair, Dean saw the full amount of bruises on Sam's face but it was when he felt the sticky feel of blood on the back of his head that he closed his eyes.

"I will burn the next demon we meet out just for the hell of it," he growled, his throat burning but ignoring that in favor of taking a quick look to make certain if he moved Sam it wouldn't do him more damage. "I'm sorry, Sammy. This never should've happened and I'll…make it right…as soon as we get the hell away from this goddamn place."

It sickened Dean in the worst way when he'd realized where the demon was taking Sam. It had gotten worse at the sight of seeing his brother forced to hang directly under the spot where he'd seen his girlfriend die.

A look at the wounds showed Dean which ones were the worst and he worked to stop the bleeding thigh wound where a knife had been stuck into it as best as he could right then so at least Sam wouldn't bleed to death before he got him someplace safe.

"Time to get moving," grunting under the effort of being reminded once again that the little brother that he'd once been able to pick up under one arm to lug around had grown four inches taller than Dean's own 6' and was dead weight like this, he still supported Sam as he got him out of the apartment slowly.

The demon's strength had allowed it to carry Sam up the steps from the street, but Dean's strength was human and he wasn't going to add to Sam's injuries by accidently falling down the steps so the going was slow and painful on both Winchesters.

By the first landing, Dean had to pause to catch his breath and wrap something around his bleeding hand before helping Sam the rest of the way down and couldn't begin to describe his relief at seeing his car parked so close.

"You're gonna stay here while I run up and grab the stuff up there," he spoke quietly, seeing his flannel in the back seat and grabbing it to slip onto his now shivering and in shock brother because he had no clue where in the hell Sam's own shirt or sweatshirt had gone and really didn't want to think too much on it right then.

Locking the car to give Sam some protection while he ran back upstairs to grab the duffel bag and anything that was theirs, he paused when he touched the laptop to silently thank it and whatever the hell had made Sam have the exorcism ritual running like it did.

A final look up at the ceiling had Dean frowning. He could still see the apartment as it had been the night of the fire, the night he'd barely saved his brother from burning up too while Jessica burned on the ceiling just like their Mom had years earlier.

Now as he pictured his brother hanging under that spot, he considered burning the whole damn place down but couldn't take the time since he wanted Sam far away from this place, this city, and the risk that the demon was still lurking to take another shot at his brother.

Throwing everything into the trunk, a flash of memory had Dean grabbing to the opened trunk to keep his balance as he remembered the demon hitting Sam in the back of the head before using a rag soaked in chloroform to knock his brother unconscious before taking an excruciating amount of time in the middle of the bar parking lot to tie his brother before locking him inside the Impala's trunk.

Dean felt his bitter disappointment that no one came out of the bar that might have been able to help Sam, not that the demon in control of him would have allowed that by then.

Slipping behind the wheel, Dean could actually feel the difference inside his car and swore the first chance he got that he was detailing her inside and out to get rid of the feel of that thing driving his car and touching his brother.

"You're going to be fine, Sammy. I'll take care of you and…oh, you've got to be freakin' kidding me?" Dean's eyes shot to the radio before slapping out a hand to turn the damn thing off with a low growl. "Forties music? Seriously? I got my ass possessed by a goddamn demon that likes forties music? I am so sorry, baby," he wondered if apologizing to his car would work better than trying to convince himself there were enough apologies in the world to offer his brother after this.

Looking over next to him, Dean didn't like how pale Sam was or how much his brother seemed to be shaking now. "Shh, it's okay. I'm going to take care of you and get you someplace warm," he carefully eased Sam over until he was leaning against his shoulder, keeping a hand on his neck to both allow him to feel his strong but slightly erratic pulse and to just have a hold of him to ground them both right then.

The urge to take Sam to a hospital came and went as Dean knew the odds were good that other demons could be lurking around and he couldn't take the chance of something coming at them in a hospital or finding a way to separate him and Sam.

The cuts on his own arms and hand were throbbing now and making him a little lightheaded but he drove on, out and away from Palo Alto until he figured they were off demon radar.

Sam whimpered now and then, lips moving but no words coming out unless it was soft pleading but as Dean's chest tightened he couldn't be sure if he was pleading for his brother's help or pleading for him not to hurt him more.

"Not gonna hurt you, Sammy," he whispered, voice going deep but Dean excused that from his throat being dry and raw already and not from it wanting to close up as he tried to forget the look on Sam's face when he realized what was happening.

Dean had at first feared that Sam might not catch on that it wasn't him in control because there had been moments since their Dad died that Dean's emotions had sent him into a tailspin of rage and anger, mostly aimed at his brother, but he'd felt some relief when Sam's first reaction was to know it wasn't him hurting him.

Now all he had to do was convince the younger man that he wouldn't hurt him again…once he got him stitched up.

The tiny town miles away from Palo Alto was too small to be on a map and the motel was run down and off the main road which suited Dean fine.

The room given to him by a sleepy eyed woman behind the counter was the last in the row and only had one double bed but again it suited because he needed it for Sam, not himself because Dean didn't plan on sleeping until Sam was awake and safe and then he could crash on the floor or in the Impala if Sam was too skittish with him at first.

A dozen missed calls from Bobby meant one hell of a lecture from the older hunter but since Dean figured he'd be getting a scathing lecture anyway another one wouldn't matter and he concentrated on getting Sam out of the car and onto the bed before nearly passing out from his own bleeding hand.

"Shit," Dean had wanted to clean Sam up first but he knew from experience that if he didn't stitch himself up first then he wouldn't be any good to Sam and took the time to clean and stitch the few cuts that were the worst, including his hand before settling down to dealing with what was important to him…taking care of his little brother.

It took Dean two hours or more of careful cleaning, stitching, bandaging and caring for all the bruises, welts, abrasions, cuts and whatever else he'd done to Sam while being a passenger in his own body and by the time he sat back to drop the wet cloth that he'd used to get some of the blood out of Sam's hair to allow him to check the wound at the back of his head, the hunter was bone tired and freaking out.

Not once during all of his moving, cleaning, or stitching had Sam even twitched. He whimpered a couple times and his fingers coiled into a fist as if he were still clutching the medallion that was now back around Dean's neck with the bronze amulet.

The fear that Sam was bleeding inside or that so many fists to the head had hurt him more than Dean could tell right now was huge but he feared hospitals for so many reasons and wouldn't risk taking Sam to one unless his brother's condition didn't improve somewhat by the morning.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I am so _goddamn_ sorry, Sammy."

**Present: motel bathroom:**

Dean wasn't even aware that he'd been constantly whispering apologies to his brother until a sudden sound from the bedroom had his head snapping around.

"Sam?" grabbing a towel to quickly dry off, he snagged his boxers and jeans before stepping cautiously back into the bedroom with one hand automatically going for his weapon only to remember he'd left it in the room, on his duffel before entering the bathroom to shower. "Sammy?"

Letting his eyes move slowly while trying to gauge where the sound had come from or if it might've just been his mind playing tricks on him after so long without sleep and too much worry, Dean's gaze went to the bed first to check on Sam when suddenly he felt all the breath whoosh out of his lungs at seeing the rumpled bed, the discarded leather jacket, bloodied bandages…but no Sam.

"Oh, no, not again," Dean's temper as well as his fear spiked as he took another step to look but not seeing his brother, instead he caught sight of his Colt being not where he'd left it and an open motel door. "Shit, shit, _shit_! Sammy!"

Instant fear that somehow the demon had followed them here, had gotten past the salt lines and all Dean's other precautions to grab his brother somehow made Dean's tired and not alert senses less attuned than normal and he didn't sense the danger until it was too late.

Whirling at a sound from behind him, from behind the bathroom door, Dean's hand shot up to block whatever it was he sensed but missed to take the blunt end of his pistol to the side of his head and dropped to the motel floor with a groan and Sam's name on his lips as things faded to black…

**TBC**

**A/N: **_Okay, so I said originally three chapters but blame the plot bunny who decided it wanted to drag out the angst, guilt and healing bonding brother moments into another chapter…and yeah, I did just knock Dean out to leave yet another cliffey. Where's Sam? Why's the motel door open? Did the demon follow or is this something else? Stay tuned for the final (I swear on the Impala) chapter._


	4. Chapter 4

**The Final Straw**

**Warning:** Mentions of past event with Meg while Sam was possessed that have slight non-con elements but it's only in mention.

**Chapter Four**

Groaning at the dull ache in his head, Dean Winchester didn't bother to hide or muffle the low groan of pain that came as consciousness returned.

A quick memory hit him of fear for his brother after remembering that Sam wasn't in bed and the motel room door was opened and then it had all gone black for him.

Waking up with a headache, he blinked a few times only to see that night had fallen again and the only light in the room was coming through the window since no lights were on, the door was closed and it seemed like a chair was jammed under the knob as if to keep something out…or make it harder to get out.

Swearing under his breath about stupid demons, he went to move only to come to the equally fast and very frustrating conclusion that his arms had been tied behind his back and his ankles also seemed to be tied, leaving him unable to move on the floor. "Oh you have got to be freakin' kidding me with this shit," he groaned again, struggling in the ropes to see if he could break them or escape the knots only to become a little concerned at feeling how tight they were. "_Sonuabitch_!"

Dean cursed both himself and the demon he figured had followed them from Palo Alto to get the drop on them again but right then his immediate concern was for his younger brother who had already been hurt too badly over this mess and he would kindly rip someone's lungs out if they laid hands on Sam again.

The training he'd received allowed Dean to slowly feel the other presence in the room as he stopped fighting the ropes to take several deep breaths, fear for Sam's safety and anger at himself making it very hard to stay calm right then.

"Where's my brother?" he demanded, voice dropping into the pissed off deeper tone he got when dealing with bullies, assholes, or monsters.

"Funny…that's kinda what I want to know too."

Dean had been expecting to hear the sneering voice of whatever poor soul the demon possessed to track them but the quietly, slightly shaky but hiding his fear voice that finally did speak from the darkness had his head jerking around to make himself look through the inky darkness to see…

"Sam?" he stared hard to adjust his still swimming vision to the darkness before he finally located the long limbed body that was currently pulled up tightly into a corner. "Sammy? What the…"

The sound of his pistol cocking along with the way Sam seemed to be shaking as he sat in the corner with wide glassy hazel eyes staring at him both warily and fearfully told Dean this was not a good thing.

"Don't call me that!" Sam snapped, voice raw from screaming and the burn of the straight whiskey making it sound that much rawer. "Only…only Dean can call me that and…where's my brother?"

Shifting to his side carefully so he could look at Sam where he sat, it slowly began to dawn on Dean what must have happened and he gave himself another harsh curse for leaving his brother to wake up alone, scared, and uncertain if the ritual to cast out the demon had worked.

"I'm me, Sam," he tried to assure the confused and frightened younger man, wishing he wasn't tied up because touching Sam had always worked to calm him down but Dean suspected that given what his brother had just been put through that he was lucky to just be tied up on the floor of the motel room. "Untie me and I can prove that to you."

Sam stared at the thing with his brother's face and voice and nearly moved toward it on instinct but jerked back into the corner, drawing his legs up to his chin as if trying to protect himself from more cruel punishment. "Won't…won't be tricked again," he hissed, eyes wild now and his hands shook as he tried to keep the weapon steady. "You won't…won't hurt…"

"No, no one's gonna you again, Sam," Dean assured him, attempting to scoot a little closer on the floor but soon realized that was a mistake when his slightly move freaked his still in shock and barely with it little brother out.

"_**NO**_!" Sam screamed, scrambling out of the corner along the wall until he bumped into the chair he'd jammed under the door. "I'll…kill…let Dean go! Just let him go and…"

Sam wasn't sure what was happening or where he was. He'd passed out hanging from the ceiling of his old apartment after being tortured by a demon possessing his brother. He woke up in a motel with every wound cleaned and dressed.

Panic had set in shortly after his eyes had opened and he heard the muffled voice in the bathroom, not certain what was happening or if the damn demon was gone.

A look outside the motel room had showed him the Impala was there, the voice he heard told him Dean…or what was Dean's body at least was with him in the room but his brother never would leave him to wake up alone.

He'd dug for a pair of sweatpants to wear since he'd only been in sleep shorts but feared the demon's promises since this was also bringing back too many memories of when Meg had possessed him. He wanted to hide, to escape but he couldn't leave Dean but Sam didn't know what to believe by this point.

"Sam…listen to me," Dean groaned as his shoulder pulled a little as he struggled to keep Sam in his line of sight in the dark room. "Turn a light on so we can see each other and I'll prove I'm me," he urged gently, hearing the sound of gasping breaths and knew how close Sam was to hyperventilating. "Please, Sam. I can't hurt you while I'm tied like this. Turn the light on first."

The soothing tone of voice, the gentleness in it calmed Sam's breathing down without him even being aware of it and he stared at the body on the floor before slowly moving across the floor without ever dropping his gaze to finally find the table by the bed with a lamp on it, reaching up with trembling fingers to turn it on low.

He blinked glassy eyes, one still swelled badly, against the sudden glare but cautiously looked to see Dean watching him and he began looking around the room against as if needing a place to hide.

"Sam…look at me," Dean didn't miss the wildness or the pure fear he could see radiating out of his brother and tried to not let it hurt that he'd allowed Sam to be hurt to the point that his little brother, the boy he'd been looking after since he was six months old, would be so damn petrified of him. "Sammy."

Dropping his head to his chest, Sam's fingers still held the gun but it was no longer pointed at Dean…though it was too close to being pointed at Sam's own chest for his brother's comfort. "Shut up," the younger man murmured, fingers of his other hand reaching up to curl around his own anti-possession medallion. "Want De'n."

Finding it hard to breathe with as tight as his chest was getting the longer it went that Sam wouldn't look at him or listen to him, Dean tried to think of how to handle this and knowing he needed to get his brother to believe him because it was obvious to him that Sam was close to crashing again.

"The demon's gone, Sam. It left me in Palo Alto after he put my medallion in my hand while the laptop ran the exorcism ritual…sneaky move by the way, little brother," he smirked a little, hoping he could keep calm and not freak Sam out more. "Want to tell me why you had that on your computer anyway?"

"Teach you the ritual," Sam mumbled, letting his cheek rest on his knees when he drew them up again. "Your Latin…Dean's Latin sucks and won't practice…so figured play it while you slept and maybe you'd…he'd pick it up," he tensed at how unsure he was if what he was doing was right.

Dean sounded like himself, his eyes were green and not flashing black but Sam had been fooled once and didn't want to risk it again…he couldn't let the demon close to him if he was just pretending to be his brother. He couldn't let it hurt him again but he also didn't want Dean to be hurt either.

"Cute…a little too much like something I'd do but still cute," Dean rolled his eyes, wincing as that made his head hurt and he had to roll onto his back to try to stop the swimming his eyes were doing again. "You know shooting me won't help, right? Demons aren't affected by bullets…not that I am one since you got rid of it, Sam. You saved both of our asses back there when I couldn't.

"I wanted to, Sam. I wanted to help you and I fought that bastard as much as I could," he sighed, twisting his hands to see if he could get any give in the ropes when a sound made him turn his head to see that Sam was slowly scooting closer to him. "I'd never hurt you and right now don't blame you for being afraid of me after what I did…or what it did with my hands…but you know that I would've found some way, anyway, to make certain it didn't touch you like that."

Sam's head jerked up at that, not wanting to remember the demon's promises of worse to come or what it might have told Dean about Meg. "Shut up."

"Why didn't you tell me about what else happened during that lost time with Meg, Sam?" Dean knew he was pushing but he also knew he needed Sam focused on something other than his own thoughts and fears for the moment. "Is that why you wouldn't sleep unless we were in the Impala? You were having nightmares and didn't want to tell me about what? Why?"

"Caused enough…trouble by what happened when she possessed me. I didn't want you…Dean to be more ashamed of me and…" Sam's voice dropped to below a whisper, shoulders hunching more as he seemed to actually get smaller and once again Dean was reminded of how innocent Sam could still look when hurt or frightened. "Thought about throwing the…money away but then remembered what Dad always said about wasting money so I…hid it but won't touch it cause it's dirty money and…"

Dean rolled back to his side to let his eyes zero in on Sam's pale face, seeing the tears on his cheeks that he knew his brother couldn't feel. "Money?" he repeated warily, knowing his voice must have changed a pitch when Sam jerked back a little.

The demon while in possession had only been too happy to tell Dean a few things that his brother hadn't about that event with Meg but he'd assumed that the damn demon bitch had goaded the bikers in a bar until they attacked and raped his brother…which would be bad enough for Sam to handle.

Now he realized the situation was even worse and why Sam wouldn't have told him or wanted him or anyone to know. Being raped because the demon possessing you had instigated a fight was one thing but to have had that demon use Sam's body to sell sex while his brother was helpless in his own mind made Dean sick and vowed to one day make the bitch pay for that.

"Sammy, you should've told me," he wanted to comfort, to touch and just hold the shaking boy but knew even if he wasn't tied that it wasn't the time yet to touch Sam.

His brother would need to come to the realization that Dean was his brother and not the demon who'd hurt him before touching Sam in any way would be allowed.

"I wouldn't have been ashamed of you. You couldn't have stopped her. I know you tried and I told you none of that was your fault," Dean's breath stilled at the feel of Sam moving close enough that you could reach out to touch Dean if he wanted to. "In the top of the duffel bag, there's salt and Holy water. Test me with it if you want or say the ritual again to be sure but I'm swearing to you that I'm me. Ask me something."

"Demon would know everything you…he…damn it!" Sam's voice broke on an aggravated sob, slumping on the floor with his arms wrapped around his knees while staring into his brother's wet eyes and slowly moved a hand almost hesitantly to reach out a finger to touch Dean's cheek, frowning a bit more at the wetness there. "What's…why're you…Dean doesn't cry…ever," he murmured, wary as he watched the tiny smirk turn wry.

"I do but never in front of you," Dean told him quietly, making certain to hold Sam's eyes as he went on while hoping his voice stayed steady for this. "Dad always said emotions made you weak. I bury mine while you always wore them on your sleeve but when Dad wasn't around and I'd gotten you down for the night then I would because it wasn't as easy as I made it out to be, Sammy."

A little surprised that Sam didn't pull back or move away but kept his fingers where they were as he seemed to be listening, Dean took a shaky breath because this was treading into dangerous waters that he never wanted to go because he'd worked damn hard to never let Sam see the dark side of their lives when he'd been little or how hard it was to manage things when he was older.

"It wasn't easy to keep you as safe as Dad wanted when all you wanted was to be a normal little boy but I did my best to give you what normal that I could. It wasn't easy to stay six steps ahead of nosy neighbors at the motels who'd ask where Dad was and I always had to be prepared for CPS to pay a visit and make sure there was food for you to eat and money for rent and school lunches.

"All those nights I'd put you to bed after dinner and homework were done and I'd go sit someplace and sometimes I'd cry because it wasn't fair on you to not have the life all the other kids got to have but I'd suck it up and do it again the next day because that's what I did. I looked out for you and promised myself that you'd never see my break…not even after Dad when all you wanted was to help and I'd shove you away did I let you see me lose it," he suddenly swallowed the lump in his throat, wanting to look away but didn't as a flicker of something began to show in his brother's eyes.

"I left you alone in here today because I didn't want you waking up to your no chick flick moments big brother having a meltdown as I remembered feeling every time that thing inside me hurt you. I could feel it every time it hit you or cut you or when it would say crap to you that I could see pieces of that big heart breaking and I can't take it back, Sam. I can't take back the last two days for you and…"

Dean finally had to close his eyes or the scene he'd been trying to avoid would happen anyway and it was easier to do this, risk it all, if he didn't have to look into those too huge, in shock, wet puppy dog eyes that never failed to break him.

"I don't blame you for not trusting me or not believing it's me after what I did to you and…I get that it'll be a while before you can hopefully trust me again to ride with me or be anywhere I am. I get that, I really do. I don't like it because it's killing me to know that you're scared of me and I can hear Dad's voice telling me what a huge screw-up I am because I let some black eyed bastard get inside me and hurt you but promise me that you'll call Bobby or Ellen to come get you until you feel better and…you can even take the Impala since it's pretty much home to you," he bit his lip, suddenly wishing he could move enough to put space between them because Dean was determined not to show how much this was hurting him.

"I'm sorry, Sammy," Dean forced himself to open his eyes to look at Sam one more time, offering a shaky smile. "You need to be in that bed, kid. You're still hurt and we both know Bobby will bitch if you get sicker. Call him and…"

"I'm not calling Bobby cause I'm not going to Bobby's," Sam suddenly spoke, staring at Dean with his head at an angle like he used to when small and trying to make a decision.

Dean blinked at that, silently wondering how the hell the kid could be so hardheaded when he was hurt and thinking his brother was still possessed. "Well, you're not hunting on your own," he replied, figuring once he found a way to get loose that he'd call Bobby to at least meet Sam halfway or come and drive the Impala back to South Dakota until Sam was well.

"No, I'm hunting with you," Sam shot back, a little fire in his eyes are he slowly uncurled a little more with a wince as the stitches in his thigh pulled and he shivered. "I'm not going to Bobby. I'm not going to Ellen. I'm staying with you."

"You think I'm a demon, genius," Dean muttered, not immediately seeing or hearing the change until Sam moved with a definite grimace of pain to reach down to begin to untie the knots that held his ankles together. "Sam?"

His fingers were slow and stiff but Sam worked to untie the knots he'd tied, trying to work up the guts to meet his brother's eyes now. "You'd let me go?" he asked without looking up.

"If you went to Bobby or Ellen," Dean hated when he couldn't pin Sam's emotions down, especially when normally his brother was an open emotional book to him.

"You…let me take the Impala?" his fingers shook more but he felt them begin to loosen. "She's your car."

"She's also the only home you've known other than Bobby's place or Pastor Jim's. You'll still sleep better in the Impala than you will anywhere else so yeah, if you go to Bobby or Ellen then you're taking the car and I'll…make do," Dean grunted as he managed to sit up, not an easy task with his arms tied behind him but he wanted to at least sit up for this.

Sam felt the ropes loosen but took his time removing them as he worked on meeting Dean's eyes. "Do you blame me for Meg?" he asked quietly, hearing the sharp inhale and knew on instinct the muscle on his brother's jaw would be twitching if he looked right then.

"I told you that nothing that damn bitch did while possessing you was your fault," Dean had to be careful not to let his anger that Sam still felt blame for that cloud his voice. "Not when she killed that hunter, not when she went after Jo, not what she did or made you do and…"

"I shot you," Sam mentioned, hearing a groan and not sure if his brother was in pain or if it was Dean's more basic groan of frustration.

"She shot me," Dean corrected, wondering how the hell they'd gotten onto this topic. "Not you, Meg shot me. Huge difference."

Tossing the rope aside, Sam finally lifted his head enough that he could watch his brother's face from under his bangs and eyelashes. "Then why would I blame you for this?" he asked suddenly, tired and aching but not making another move to the bed, going to reach up to untie Dean's wrists but wasn't really surprised when his brother eased back from that.

"Because it was my hands that tried to cut your chest and back to ribbons?" Dean snorted, shaking his head. "Sammy, it was my voice you heard when it taunted you and…"

"And wasn't it my hand that held the gun that shot you in the shoulder and nearly killed you, Dean?" Sam asked softly, seeing the way his brother stilled when he said his name. "If you don't blame me for that or for hitting you at Bobby's before he broke the binding sigil she'd put on me then how cold I blame you for what the demon did to me?

"I know you were fighting it, Dean. I could see that. I know you didn't want it to hurt me and you tried to get me loose and it hurt you because of that," he slowly moved a little closer but felt Dean tense and knew what this was about and he felt a small burst of resentment bubble up. "No, you don't get to do this. You wouldn't let me blame myself for what Meg did so I'm not letting you blame yourself for this just because you think Dad would be disappointed."

Sam's body felt like crap and he knew he needed to free Dean's hands before he passed out though he also knew bringing their Dad into this right now was risky. "Dad got possessed by Yellow Eyes and nearly killed you. Did he apologize, Dean? Did he ever tell you that what he said while possessed wasn't true?"

"Sam, don't…" Dean didn't need those thoughts coming back on top of this, not expecting the hands on his shoulders that latched on tightly while Sam's eyes were clearly having trouble focusing again. "Sammy?"

"Dad got possessed by the very demon that killed Mom. He nearly killed you and got pissed off at me because I cared more about you bleeding to death than finishing it. He never once apologized for it, De'n. I have but you won't let me blame myself so I'll be damned if you'll blame yourself or expect me to or expect me to leave because you didn't see something coming," he declared, fighting back the shock to try to make his brother understand.

"If you hadn't fought back, if you hadn't freed my one hand then I wouldn't have been able to do what I did. You saved us, Dean. You saved us because it was you that taught me not to give up no matter how bad it was and even when I wanted to, even when it was hurting me the most and I wanted to quit I wouldn't because I knew you were still there fighting for me like you always have," he murmured, blinking fast and having to shake his head when little white spots began to float in front of his eyes.

Strong hands pulling him forward into a full hug shocked Sam back to alertness as he blinked at the feel of arms wrapping around him to hold and support. "Huh? How?" he stared into green eyes that were light if still a little unsure. "I hadn't…"

"I taught you how to tie those knots, little brother. There isn't a knot that you can tie that I can't get myself out of if I want to bad enough," Dean replied calmly, not willing to admit that it had taken him longer to free himself than he liked. "I still want you to use the salt and Holy water to reassure yourself that I'm me," he added, feeling the fever under his hands and swearing softly. "Bed, now."

Dean carefully pulled Sam to his feet, glad the bed wasn't that far away since his own head still ached and his legs felt weak from being tied but he eased his brother down to sit beside him, reaching for the blanket.

"Sorry, I hit you," Sam murmured, tired again and wanting to sleep but not before he finished this. "Woke up too fast and…is it gone?"

"It smoked out of me but we're making sure this crap can't happen to us again," Dean smoothed a hand back through Sam's hair, feeling a mild fever but had been expecting that. "I shouldn't have left you alone. I wanted to get the blood off and…lost track of the time."

Sam understood how his brother worked and knew Dean would carry the guilt of this well past the day when the injuries healed. "I wanted to believe it was you, De'n. I did but I was…" he dropped his gaze, looking up only at the feel of a hand on the back of his neck.

"I know, Sam. I don't blame you for being afraid when you woke up. You'd been through Hell," Dean kept his touch light but lightly squeezed his brother's neck like he'd always done to offer support. "I would've been more worried if you hadn't tried to crack my skull…but with my own gun, dude?"

"It was there," Sam yawned, a little worried about sleeping. "Can I sleep?" he asked, knowing the risk of head wounds.

Dean had gone to the duffels to get one of his brother's more worn and softer hoodies that would keep him warm but not pull on any of the stitches or wounds, but paused with his hand on the Holy water. "Yeah, you're eyes aren't dilated like they were. I think you're more in shock from the cuts and just plain tired so you can sleep and I'll be here when you wake up this time."

"You should sleep," Sam was just noticing he was on the only bed in the room and instantly didn't like that implication. "Dean, you are going to sleep, right?"

"Yeah, once I know you're alright I'll crash on the sofa or something," Dean shrugged, bringing what he had in his hands back to the bed but biting his lip a little to hold out the flask of Holy water. "Use this."

"Dean, no," Sam tried to refuse but found himself to too weak to ignore when the flask was placed in his fingers. "Dean…I don't need to use this or salt or anything to prove to me that the demon's gone. You did that because only you'd offer to let me take the Impala because it was home," he laid the flask down away from them before adding quietly. "Besides…I'd already used it."

Dean helped his brother get the hoodie on when he stared at Sam. "You…used it already?" he frowned a little at that. "When?"

"Coated the ropes in salt and holy water after I knocked you out," Sam sounded embarrassed by that, also a little anxious that his brother would be angry. "I wanted to believe it was you after that but…demons can be so damn…and I was…scared," the last word was a whisper.

"I know you were, little brother. So was I," Dean admitted quietly, grabbing for a bottle of water to begin getting liquids down his brother and then sat up with his back against the headboard to rest his head on the wall and smiled a little when he felt what he figured he would.

When Sam was small and frightened or sick, he'd always curled against Dean or used his shoulder for a pillow. This night wasn't any different as Sam waited until he thought his brother was staying still and slowly moved closer until he tucked a pillow against Dean's stomach to lay on it to fell back to sleep. "Stay here until I'm asleep?" he asked, voice getting slurred as sleep came again.

"I'm not moving, Sammy," Dean assured him, carding his fingers through Sam's hair carefully as he slowly felt the tension ease away and knew his brother was sleeping again.

Only once Sam was sleeping did Dean allow his own eyes to close, still hearing the sounds of his brother's muffled voice screaming in pain and knowing he'd be hearing and seeing that for a long time to come because while he was good at telling Sam being possessed by Meg wasn't his fault…he wasn't quite as good at believing his own words.

"It's not happening again, little brother," he promised tightly, firm on this because Dean was already planning a way to make damn certain no demon could do this to either one of them again…if he could just convince Sam to try it.

An hour later had Sam tensing as pain came back and his fingers reached out until they latched onto the amulet Dean wore, another habit his brother still had from childhood, and he let him hold onto it while just talking to him until Sam relaxed again.

Only then did Dean let himself sleep but knew he'd wake at the slightly sound or move from Sam, which is how it always had been as he considered the closest place to get done what he wanted.

**Four days later:**

"Think Bobby will bitch?" Sam asked curiously, staring into a mirror but still having a hard time not looking at the left over bruises and scars that were healing.

"Ow…I don't it…ow…since it'll keep him from worrying…ow…about us losing the medallions," Dean's fingers slowly relaxed the grip on the chair as the annoying noise from the needle gun finally stopped and he drew in his first full breath since the tattoo artist began his work. "Awesome," he grinned at seeing the finished work.

This latest demon deal had been the final straw for Dean since he wasn't going to allow or risk Sam to be hurt like he had been again.

Normally not big on tattoos, getting the anti-possession mark inked permanently onto their chests meant that no demon would be grabbing a hold of them again and that was what Dean was looking for.

He'd been surprised that Sam had only been slightly uneasy and had stayed by his brother's side while he was getting his done.

"Alright boys, follow the instructions on the paper to keep them clean and to avoid any infection and you should be fine," the older man who worked at the tattoo shop in downtown LA hadn't asked any questions about the odd designs his current customers wanted and actually found it hard not to smile a few times when the older boy gave his younger brother little words of encouragement to focus past the pain…and then he was the one making noise through his. "Three hundred for both."

Dean had known the price before hand and had cringed but reached for his wallet only to have Sam shove a plain white envelope into his hands before walking outside to wait. "Sam? What the hell is…holy shit," he had to be quick to cover his surprise at the sight of more than a thousand dollars and suddenly knew what it was from.

He paid the man, added a tip and hurried to find his brother sitting inside the Impala, fidgeting nervously. "What do you want to do with the rest of it?" he asked after getting behind the wheel.

"Don't care," Sam muttered, fingers tapping on his knee until Dean's hand clamped down over his to keep him still and he was shaking again. "Figured it was right to pay for the tattoos with that money since it was made cause Meg basically sold…"

"Stop," Dean ordered firmly, tossing the envelope onto the dash before reaching over to carefully turn Sam toward him. "Again, nothing I say or do will take that back but like I've said you weren't in control. What she did was wrong and it was something I know you didn't want or do but I also don't want it eating you up because I'm not ashamed of you over it. Now, what do you want to do with the rest of the money?"

Sam chewed his lip, but shook his head. "I guess keep it to use for ammo or stuff," though he really didn't like that idea he'd been trained too well to burn money like he'd wanted to since touching it for the first time after getting control back and remembering the bar, the pool table, the bikers…

"No, we're not using it for that," Dean had read his brother's face and also wanted the money gone, away from Sam and maybe use it for something to take the haunted look that still came into his brother's eyes away when he noticed a sign on a bus driving by with a smile. "Sammy…ever been to Disneyland?"

"What?" Sam stared at his brother, a little startled to see his calm smile and the glitter in his green eyes before he followed where Dean was staring and blinked. "But…I thought we were on the way to…"

Tapping a finger on the envelope of cash, Dean smiled while pointing again to the advertisement. "We're blowing this money on something fun for a change and…Dad always promised to take you. He didn't so I will," he knew he'd made the right choice the moment Sam's eyes lit up and he coughed to cover the emotions that came when he had an arm full of little brother.

"Thanks, Dean," Sam smiled, settling back but not before feeling the fingers on his neck.

"Yeah, well, I'm fairly certain there's no clowns there…only a mouse and a duck so we should be good," Dean smiled again at Sam's snort, starting the car and heading off with the hopes that he could at least give Sam a few happy days to try to take away from the dark memories his brother had these past few days and months. "I'll even buy you mouse ears."

"Shut up, Dean," Sam rolled his eyes, settling back in the seat to sleep. Feeling safe like he always did in the Impala even though he knew Dean wasn't letting him near the trunk for fear of it bringing back bad memories.

Glad the tattoos would protect them, Sam wished it would be as simple to stay safe from everything else in their lives and knowing that Dean would do whatever it took to do that because that was just how his big brother worked and he wouldn't have it any other way.

**The End**

**A/N: **_Thanks for reading and I certainly hope everyone enjoyed this final chapter. Thanks again to Jemjoremy for the prompt and I hope the story lived up to your expectations._

_Look for more stories coming soon and look me up on Facebook under morgana07 for story updates or to chat._


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